Exploring community pharmacists’ perceptions towards the prescribing role in Limpopo province, South Africa: A qualitative study

This study aims to explore community pharmacists’ perceptions of their evolving role in prescribing. A qualitative, exploratory, and descriptive research design was utilized. Pharmacists working in community pharmacies in Polokwane, South Africa, were purposefully selected. With data saturation achieved, 14 pharmacists participated in the study. Data collection was carried out through semi-structured, face-to-face interviews, which were transcribed verbatim and analyzed using Tesch’s open coding technique. The majority of participants expressed satisfaction with their new role as prescribers, emphasizing that they possess the necessary knowledge and pharmacology skills to diagnose patients and recommend appropriate treatments. Findings underscore a variety of benefits, including advantages for patients, financial benefits, and professional growth for pharmacists. Pharmacists' involvement in prescribing has the potential to enhance rational prescribing practices, improve medication use, reduce medical costs for patients, expand pharmacists’ therapeutic knowledge, and enhance access to healthcare services. Increasing pharmacists' prescribing capabilities and the availability of approved training institutions may foster greater interest in this field.